Two Indian students severely injured in Australia

Melbourne, Feb 3: Two Indian students were found unconscious in a public pool in Australia after a “freak accident” and are fighting for their lives in a hospital.

A man, aged 22, and a woman, 23, both Indian nationals, were at the WaterMarc aquatic centre in Melbourne when they were found unconscious in the pool Sunday.

A police officer said the couple had been in Australia for two years. They lived together in Preston city and were studying Information Technology.

It is believed they knocked their heads while jumping into the water, The Age reported Monday.

The parents of the students are travelling to Australia to meet them as they were in a critical condition.

Victoria police said the woman was dragged from the pool after she was found floating face down and fully clothed. While she was being treated, the young man, who had suffered a cardiac arrest, was found at the bottom of the pool. Paramedics said he was not breathing but was later revived.

The police officer said there was a small mark on the man’s forehead.

“There’s no indication as to what sort of incident took place for this to happen,” he said.

The officer said there was a “strong possibility” that one or both of the victims were already in the water but got into trouble.

“There is still a possibility that they clashed heads. We just don’t know,” he said.

He described the accident as “freak” and said there were more than 100 people in the pool at the time.

A hospital staff said the woman “had a pulse, but had difficulty breathing because of the amount of water she had ingested”.

The WaterMarc is a $42-million city council project. It claims to be the largest aquatic and leisure facility in Victoria region, and has several indoor pools and waterslides.